ERIE, Pa. -- Holding a one-point lead at halftime, the East Stroudsburg University men's basketball team shot 66.7 percent from the field, 60 percent from the 3-point line and 82.4 percent from the free throw line in the second half to hand undefeated #3 Mercyhurst its first loss of the season, 85-72, on Sunday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.  

The top-three ranked win for the Warriors (5-3, 3-2) is the first for the program since downing #2 Slippery Rock twice during the 1989-90 season. The Lakers suffer their first loss of the season and are now 10-1, 3-1 in PSAC action.

Trailing by as many as nine points in the first half, ESU would trade leads with the Lakers to begin the second half, until ESU took control of the contest with a game-deciding 25-11 through the final stretch of the game lifted the Warriors to a 15-point lead with under a minute left.

ESU put together its best performance from the charity stripe of the season, sinking 18-of-22 attempts. The Warriors also dominated the glass, out-rebounding Mercyhurst 40-26.

 

Notables

• Marc Rodriguez and Troy Jones each recorded a game-high 21 points. Both guards were extremely efficient, combining to shoot 12-15 from the floor, including 6-of-7 from 3-point land and 12-of-13 from the line. Rodriguez, a contender for PSAC East Athlete of the Week, averaged 22 points per game against Edinboro and Mercyhurst this weekend. He made 14-of-19 field goal attempts and 7-of-10 shots from beyond the arc. He collected three rebounds per contest along with three steals and two blocks overall.
• Leading scorer Lakeem McAliley continued his strong start to his ESU career, pouring in 17 points and led the Warriors off the glass with 13 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double performance. The Philadelphia native added three assists, two stels and two blocks for a team-best plus-minus of +25 when on the court.
• Justin Paz added nine points and distributed five assists. Carlos Pepin added seven points and seven boards.
• It's the first win over a ranked team for ESU since the 2019-20 season, when the Warriors downed #24 Shippensburg, 66-63.
• Overall, it's the program's fifth top-five win, defeating #4 Cheyney in 1971-72, #2 Slippery Rock twice in 1989-1990 and #4 Gannon in 2008-09.
• The victory was ESU head coach Jeff Wilson's 10th win over a ranked opponent and the highest nationally-ranked team he has defeated in his 19 season tenure in the Poconos.

How it Happened

• It was Mercyhurst that began the contest strong, quickly building a nine-point lead at 15-6 in the opening minutes. After ESU cut the deficit to four after a quick 5-0 sprint, the Lakers lengthened its advantage back to nine at 24-15.
• The Warriors then embarked on an 18-4 run, which included an 11-0 spurt to grab a lead at 25-24 with 6:52 left in the first half. Paz and Jones each knocked down a triple during the stretch, while six of McAliley's 22 points in the three-minute stretch. The Warriors would hold a slim lead the rest of the opening 20 minutes, taking a 33-32 lead into the locker room.
• The two teams would trade leads to open the second half. With Mercyhurst holding a slim 55-54 lead, a McAliley layup would spark a game-changing 31-17 sprint. Davon Lee scored six consecutive points, as Rodriguez led the squad with nine points over the final 9:47 of the contest. ESU was relentless, as Mercyhurst could not keep up with the Warrior offense that closed the game making eight of its final 10 field goal attempts and 13-of-15 free throw attempts to knock off the nationally-ranked Lakers by a final score of 85-72.

Up Next

• The Warriors are idle until January 5th, when ESU travels to Mansfield for its first PSAC East battle.
• ESU returns to Koehler Fieldhouse on January 8th, when the Warriors welcome Kutztown to the Poconos for a 3:00 p.m. tilt.